The Morning After: Monday, December 18th 2017

Monday morning arrives, and as we gear up for the pre-holiday weekend (ignoring the five days left to go), we’re talking sell-out AirPods (really?), Firefox auto-installs (seriously), and we break down last week’s big events in numerical style in the After Math.

A curious add-on called Looking Glass started popping up on Firefox for a number of users this past week — even if they didn’t give the browser permission to install it. Due to its nebulous nature and creepy description that only said “MY REALITY IS JUST DIFFERENT FROM YOURS,” people took to social networks to ask other users and air their concerns. Turns out Looking Glass isn’t spamware, malware or any of the sort: It’s a promotional campaign for the Mr. Robot TV series, all about a cybersecurity-engineer-slash-hacker. Hilarity ensued.

Apple’s weird-looking, Siri-enabled earbuds are out of stock at most of the company’s online and retail stores around the world, as well as at many major American store chains (like Best Buy and Walmart) and even carrier shops. You might not even get a pair as a post-holiday consolation prize — Apple, at least, doesn’t expect to ship new AirPod orders until 2018. There are other options, of course, but not many of them pack Apple’s own wireless chip to improve the connectivity with your iPhone.

California’s Department of Public Health just issued an advisory that suggests residents should take steps to limit their exposure to cellphones. The notice recommends avoiding unnecessary phone use, particularly when the cell signal is likely to kick into overdrive (such as when you’re in a weak coverage area or streaming video). It also advises keeping your handset away from your body — CDPH Director Dr. Karen Smith even suggests “not keeping your phone in your pocket.”